By the Numbers

In the aftermath of Saturday’s reprehensible “hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides” statement by the President, I’m receiving a bit of deserved backlash for comments I made to a journalist a few weeks ago.  My assertion that “they’re not racist- they’re just afraid” serves as the headline of an editorial in today’s The Kansas City Star.  

While I’m not going to recant my words,  I understand why I’ve been rebuked by a critic who insists that “being afraid of crime when there’s no evidence of crime means that you’re racist.”  Instead, I’ll reiterate two key points.

I’ve never felt threatened or unwelcome during the hundreds of times I’ve visited the Jazz District in the last twenty years,  Once sketchy, the immediate radius of the museum complex is safe.  The Star’s editorial gets that right.  The piece falters, however, in its implied assertion that jazz can still serve as a major attraction.  The successful festivals it cites are headlined by pop, rock and hip-hop acts.

The poor attendance at the American Jazz Museum’s Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival three months ago shouldn’t have come as a surprise.  John Scofield, the jazz headliner on the first night of the event, attracted about 400 fans.  That more or less matches the similarly woeful turnout for the jazz giant’s concert at the Folly Theater in 2014 (my review).

(Original image of Bill Stewart and John Scofield at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival by Plastic Sax.)

"Let Jazz Be Gone"

I was reminded of the parable of the blind men and the elephant as I listened to a talk radio segment that’s archived with the appropriately convoluted title “How Do We Bring Back the Life of Jazz Back to KC?”   Each of the on-air personalities and all of the commentators held entirely different conceptions of jazz.

The program’s hosts understand less about the music than I know about Farsi verb conjugations.  Even so, the uninformed commentary of the Glenn Beck wanna-bes was a reality check for members of the isolated Kansas City jazz community.  Inspired by an editorial in the The Kansas City Star that lambasted the American Jazz Museum’s financial travails related to the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival in May, the DJs framed the discussion with a pair of cogent questions: “How important is the American Jazz Museum to Kansas City?” and “Is Kansas City still a jazz town?”

Definitive conclusions weren’t reached, partly because no two contributors shared the same definition of jazz.  A caller admitted that his wife recently complained when he listened to Miles Davis in their home.  A sincere UMKC student referenced her jazz textbooks. Another man incorrectly insisted that “Kansas City artists are playing” the Newport Jazz Festival.  One caller mourned the loss of 106.5 The City, a smooth jazz station that flipped to a country format in 2003.

“This town supports three country radio stations because there’s an audience for it,” a host replied.  “I don’t think the genre is suffering because there’s no radio, I think there’s no radio because there’s no fans.”  She also stumbled into the truth when she wondered why the pop star and actress Brandy was the primary headliner of the festival: “If you have to go outside of jazz to get your headliner, to me there’s a problem with the genre.”  Her partner drove the point home by revealing that he was unfamiliar with Bobby Watson, John Scofield and Chick Corea, the festival’s top jazz bookings.

A crusty caller named Kelly seemed to speak for the hosts and the majority of their listeners: “The day of jazz is over.  We know who Bob Seger is… but who is Duke Ellington?  Let jazz be gone.”

(Original image of Karrin Allyson and Houston Person performing at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival by Plastic Sax.)

Fest Fault Lines

The Kansas City Star chastised the American Jazz Museum for bouncing checks and a fashioning a financial shortfall related to the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival.  The editorial insists that “the size of the city’s bailout is an outrage.”

One locally based musician responded to the piece by suggesting in a social media post that musicians should organize their own festival.  I’m all for the initiative.  That said, I was one of about 25 people who attended the man’s set at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival in May.  While bounced checks are impossible to defend, I commend festival organizers for including dozens of locally based artists on an impressive lineup that featured stars like John Scofield and Chick Corea.

Unfortunately, sets by Kansas City artists confirmed my primary concern about the local jazz scene: a lot of outstanding music goes largely unheard.  While The Pitch’s month-late recap  takes a dig at my accounts of the festival for The Kansas City Star, the paucity of listeners at the three-day event was so glaring that it couldn’t be ignored.  KCUR, the only other outlet to offer an analysis of the festival, also noted the “non-existent crowds” for many Kansas City based artists.

As musicians consider organizing a festival of their own, I hope they also work toward expanding their core base of support.  In the meantime, there’s nothing preventing fans from creating their own self-curated jazz festivals by bar-hopping between the Green Lady Lounge, Black Dolphin, the Blue Room and other Kansas City venues.

(Original image of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra performing at the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival by Plastic Sax.)

Free-ninety-nine

Before I assume the role of an imperious Monday morning quarterback, it’s imperative that I explicitly state that I loved the first edition of the American Jazz Museum’s Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Hearing longtime personal favorites Chick Corea, Lalah Hathaway and John Scofield perform consecutive sets on the attractive main grounds of the festival on Friday was a dream come true. Greg Tardy’s intrepid trio thrilled me on Saturday. The Brian Blade Fellowship closed the festival on Sunday with exquisite chamber jazz. Speaking of drummers, providing the opportunity to hear rhythmic geniuses including Blade, Jaimeo Brown, Marcus Gilmore, Victor Lewis and Bill Stewart reflects the festival’s commendable artistic ambition.

I’d gladly buy a $150 pass to a comparable Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2018. And yet…

I’m deeply troubled by the miserable attendance at the jazz portion of the festival. The R&B/pop artists Hathaway, Brandy, Will Downing and Oleta Adams drew nice crowds, but it took just a few seconds to conduct thorough head counts at the jazz showcases. Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner, the executive director of the American Jazz Museum, insists that Kansas City is a jazz town. It may have sounded like one over the weekend, but it sure didn’t look like it.

I deserted an audience of about 200 at a performance by Sunday’s jazz headliner Regina Carter (photo above), to join a reported 50,000 people to hear Patti Austin sing with the Kansas City Symphony at the nearby Celebration at the Station concert (photo below).

What explains the staggering contrast? Money, of course, has a lot to do with it. Celebration at the Station is free. Tickets for the Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival were $25 for entry to the main stage per day or $50 for access to all five stages per day. Given that the over/under on the number of people in Kansas City willing to pay $25 or more to attend a concert by a small acoustic jazz band is 1,000, jazz is a tough sell in this town.

There are three large-scale jazz festivals with free attendance in the Midwest- the Chicago Jazz Festival (2017 performers include Jon Faddis, Roscoe Mitchell and Lonnie Smith), the Detroit Jazz Festival (2017 performers include Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Bennie Golson) and the Iowa City Jazz Festival (2017 performers include the Cookers, Donny McCaslin and Stacey Kent). A free event in Kansas City may be a preferable model to develop interest in the form and to avoid painfully awkward crowd sizes.

And what about R&B? I’m all for it. Kansas City would clearly support a spinoff of the Essence Festival. The American Jazz Museum’s impressive efforts at the inaugural Kansas City Jazz & Heritage Festival indicate that the institution may be capable of overseeing that event as well.

(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Drowning Our Sorrows

I like Boulevard beer.  And I like the American Jazz Museum.  It was a given that I would diligently cast votes for the museum in the brewery's Boulevard Loves KC charitable campaign during the past ten days.  The museum was one of three charities designated to receive funding based on quarterly sales of Boulevard's KC Pils brand.  The charity with the most votes receives 60% of the funding.  The other two split the remaining 40%.

Between the daily votes I cast on my home network and elsewhere on my cell phone, my efforts represent over two percent of the 659 votes cast for the museum.  With a few hours remaining, The KC Pet Project has received 56% of the votes while the museum's tally accounts for 8%.  I'm not surprised that the museum lost- people in Kansas City are loopy for cats and dogs- but the paucity of votes for the museum is alarming.

Two recent failed Kickstarter campaigns related to Kansas City jazz giants Myra Taylor (15% of goal reached with 25 backers) and Bobby Watson (2% of its goal reached with four backers) indicate that the issue isn't limited to the American Jazz Museum.

I'll surprise longtime Plastic Sax readers by suggesting that the problem isn't that the audience for jazz is too small.  Instead, I believe it's too divided.  There's little consensus on what styles of jazz and which Kansas City jazz institutions merit support.

The majority of the over 1,000 people who attend every concert by the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at Helzberg Hall probably aren't terribly concerned with the legacy of Charlie Parker.  Most of the supporters of the jam sessions at YJs don't feel a strong connection to the American Jazz Museum.  There's little overlap between fans of the outside sensibility of Snuff Jazz and the stride piano of Bram Wijnands.  During a free Jazz Winterlude concert in January, people waiting for an appearance by swing vocalist Deborah Brown didn't hide their displeasure with a forward-thinking acoustic performance by Julian Lage and Jorge Roeder.  Many of Lage's fans left Yardley Hall before Brown's set began.

We can talk about the digital divide and disagree over the policies of publicly-supported institutions, but until the entirety of the jazz community can rally around a single idea, the current fractured state of affairs will continue to weaken the entire scene.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Ballot Initiative

Could my steadfast belief that Kansas City's jazz scene is undergoing an artistic renaissance be little more than wishful thinking and provincial boosterism? 

The disconcerting results of the 7th Annual Jazz Critics Poll, the most comprehensive and authoritative year-end jazz album listing, continue to stick in my craw.  Dozens of prominent jazz critics cast votes for 421 albums.  Of the projects with Kansas City connections, only Unity Band by Pat Metheny was represented.  It placed #27.  Otherwise, albums released by Kansas City's jazz artists were ignored.

Even the sole participant from the Kansas City area opted not to include any locally-released titles among his ten picks.  (I wasn't included.  My selections are here.)

I'm not suggesting that the titles that received votes aren't worthwhile.  Yet is it really possible that 421 jazz albums are "better" than, say, the latest efforts by Deborah Brown or Matt Otto?   A great deal of the underrepresentation can be attributed to the fact that most albums by Kansas City's jazz artists are self-released.  That liability, combined with the usual group-think and bandwagoning among music critics, might help to explain the omissions. 

Three new albums by Kansas City artists- Tangos For 18th Street by Mark Lowrey, The Freedom of Expression by Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle and Yalniz by Alaturka are simply too good to be ignored. 

If none of these seemingly powerful releases develop grassroots followings and a critical buzz during the next nine months I may be forced to reassess my esteem for the music being created in Kansas City.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Book of Gaia was featured on KCUR's Central Standard program.

*Esperanza Spalding, the woman referred to as "The Future" in the Plastic Sax offices, will perform at Helzberg Hall on October 9.

*Kansas City's jazz clubs are reexamined by KCJazzLark.  Kansas City's most prominent blogger takes exception to KCJazzLark's optimism, suggesting that "nothing is going to revive the dead corpse of Kansas City jazz."

*"(F)*ck New York, look at the sh*t thats going on in KC," Phonologotronic asserts as he promotes an August 3 performance titled Fluid Fractures.

*Rep. Emanuel Cleaver paid tribute to the late Ben Kynard.

*Tim Finn wrote a profile of Marco Pascolini.

*Mike Phillips, an Atlanta-based contemporary jazz saxophonist, performed Canada's national anthem at the MLB All-Star game in Kansas City.

*Someone snuck a camera into a Black House Improvisors Collective rehearsal.

*Chris Mills' describes a recent performance by Nicolay & the Hot at Nights at the Blue Room.  Here's fan footage of the show.

*Ernestine Anderson is among the performers at the annual Charlie Parker Festival.  Alas, Kansas Citians must travel to New York to attend.

*Time Out London previews a Bobby Watson gig.

*All of Joe Dimino's Neon Jazz programs are available as audio streams.  The most recent episode opens with the Ben Kynard composition "Red Top."

*My fiendish plan worked.  Steve Kraske featured Matt Otto's "Bird" on KCUR's Up To Date last week.  The show streams here.  Otto's music appears at the 24:00 mark.

*Tweet o' the Week: kcjazzlark- At Take Five: Matt Otto & Rich Wheeler, tenor saxes, TJ Martley, piano, Ben Leifer, bass, Sam Wisman, drums, have the full house mesmerized.

*Comment o' the Week: "Kenny G"- If you think PLBB has or ever had a "manager", clearly you've never been to one of their shows.

*An amusing debate is raging in the comment section the Plastic Sax review of the new Music for Owen/Cox Dance Group, Vol. 1 album.

*From Michael Pagán: The second installment of the "Jazz In The Weeds" festival is Saturday, July 28, at 7607 E. 65th St., KCMO 64113.  The Michael Pagán Quartet featuring bassist Bob Bowman serve as headliners.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

 *A friend told me that he'd be a guest on Up To Date's "Best Music to Date of 2012" show on KCUR this Friday.  In an attempt to make Kansas City jazz a part of the conversation, I compiled this list of the Top Five Kansas City Jazz Albums of 2012 (So Far): 1. Matt Otto- Broken Waltz, 2. Project H- Become Light, 3. Pat Metheny- Unity Band, 4. Killer Strayhorn- One Begins to Wonder, 5. Chris Hazelton Trio- Peregrination.

*Jeneé Osterheldt concedes that Kansas City really isn't a jazz town.

*Hearne Christopher reports that Greg Halstead, the founder of Jardine's, has died.

*Neon Jazz conducted a 21-minute interview with Megan Birdsall.

*The Star provided a report on the All-Star game watch party at the American Jazz Museum.

*Inspired by coverage during the All-Star game broadcast, a television station talks to Ollie Gates about the renovation of the YMCA building in the Jazz District. (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

*The BBC highlights the Mutual Musicians Foundation in a travel piece about Kansas City's "renaissance."

*A Beach House concert caused Hunter Long to question the purpose of improvisation. 

*Here's Ben Kynard's official obituary.  A resident of Gladstone fondly recalls Kynard in a letter to The Star.  I couldn't help but notice, however, that the sad news of Kynard's death has been ignored by most national jazz publications.

*Sue Vicory's documentary on Kansas City jazz will be screened at the Kansas International Film Festival in October.

*KKFI's new internet presence allows for quick access to the playlists of the station's jazz programmers.  (Tip via RH.)

*A set of wonderful photos of Claude "Fiddler" Williams is posted by KCJazzLark.

*Tweet o' the Week: @MBIRDMUSIC- This is KC jazz at its finest. Hatzzz Instagram

*Comment o' the Week: Sid Vicious- Hey happy, How can you recognize the superior musicianship of Bobby Watson and Matt Otto but then call the PLBB "arguably the best ensemble in the city"?  Thats like saying the best three soprano saxophonists to ever play the instrument are Trane, Branford and Kenny G.  You lose any kind of credibility when you make bone head assessments like that.  Sid

*From a UMKC press release: The University of Missouri Board of Curators has approved UMKC's Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. This addition to the Conservatory's degree program underlines the importance of the jazz program at the UMKC Conservatory. Directed by Bobby Watson, the jazz studies program at the Conservatory provides students with rich and varied experiences and opportunities to perform, travel, and work with some of the most important jazz artists working today, including Mel Martin, Donal Fox, Benny Golson, Roy Hargrove, the Mason Brothers, and many others.  The Conservatory Concert Jazz Band was number four on the national airplay charts with the recording of Bobby Watson's The Gates BBQ Suite. Jazz students are Betty Carter Fellows, teaching assistants at leading jazz programs throughout the country, Banff Artist Residents, recording artists and have won many of the world’s most prestigious jazz competitions.

*From Upper Room: The Swope Corridor Renaissance/Upper Room’s Eddie Baker School of Music will present Music Matters to benefit the children of its Music Program.  The musical event will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 27, at the Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe, Leawood, Kansas 66224… Featured performers of Music Matters are Mark Pender, Trumpet Virtuoso/TV personality from the Conan O'Brien Show; Lonnie & Ronald McFadden aka: The McFadden Brothers, celebrated dancer/singer/instrumentalists from the Wayne Newton Review; David Basse, nationally known recording artist; and Pamela Baskin-Watson, New York singer/songwriter.  Other performers are the children and staff from the Upper Room’s Music Program.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Tony's Kansas City highlighted an intriguing item published by the city clerk's office.  Dated June 7, it's titled Authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Management Agreement with the American Jazz Museum, in the amount of $647,363.00, from the American Jazz Museum account, for management and operations of the 18th and Vine Project. Readers are welcome to explain the implications of this proposal.

*Kansas City needs to "re-embrace jazz," Chad Harris tells The Pitch.  "We are known for it, yet I fear it is leaving our community, and fewer and fewer venues seem to offer it on a regular basis." (Tip via Plastic Sax reader Gary.)

*Hearne Christopher suggests that an expiring liquor license associated with the site that once housed Jardine's could spell the end of the tired saga.

*KCJazzLark laments the "dearth" of young musicians performing traditional Kansas City jazz.

*"Maybe I hate jazz," Hunter Long confesses in an excellent blog post.

*A lengthy story in the Columbia Tribune details the work of Jon Poses. 

*Columbia's Blind Boone Ragtime and Early Jazz Festival is noted by the Columbia Missourian.

*The first big review of the new Pat Metheny album comes from The Guardian.  Reviews from All About Jazz and Peter Hum are also overwhelmingly positive.  Metheny refers to the project as a "straight-ahead jazz quintet" album in a video stream of a new podcast.

*The New York Times's Stephen Holden raves about an appearance by Karrin Allyson at Birdland.

*Joyce Smith reports on a new black history tour that includes stops at the American Jazz Museum and the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

*Mike Hendricks wrote an interesting article about a new push to sell real estate near the Jazz District.

*Comment o' the Week: Anon- Bill - I didn't go to the gig, but your review is kind of a bummer... one wonders if was a necessary to post anything.

*Tweet o' the Week: Jaleel Shaw- @benwmsonbass: The new Pat Metheny album "Unity Band" is out TODAY!!! Downloading noooow. @PatMethenyNews

*Road trip alert: Sonny Rollins, the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, the Pat Metheny Unity Band, Chick Corea/Gary Burton, Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano/Dave Douglas, Fred Hersch, Donald Harrison, Kenny Garrett and David Binney are among the acts performing at the free Detroit Jazz Festival.

*From a press release: The Marr Sound Archives’ Chuck Haddix discusses the city’s contribution to this most American of musical forms in Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop at the annual meeting and party of the Friends of the Kansas City Public Library. Haddix is one of the leading authorities on the subject, having authored biographies of local jazz players Jay McShann and Claude “Fiddler” Williams, the section on Kansas City jazz in the New Grove Dictionary of Music, and (with Frank Driggs) Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop. A Friends membership is required to attend and may be purchased either in advance or at the door. The event is Wednesday, June 13, at 6 p.m.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Sometime jazz venue The Marquee will be shuttered in favor of an indeterminate lounge with a "'Jazz Age' atmosphere" according to reports in the Kansas City Business Journal and the Kansas City Star.  (Initial tip via KCJazzLark.)

*The Magic Jazz Fairy makes an angry encore at the site of KCJazzLark.  (As the curator of the Kansas City Jazz Calendar, I share the fairy's frustration.)

*The Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival is afforded a 24-minute preview by KCUR's Central Standard.

*Pat Metheny explains how he put his new band together.  (Tip via Pat Metheny News.)

*A premium Mary Lou Williams performance video was recently uploaded to YouTube.

*Libby Hanssen documents a romantic jazz-related moment at the RecordBar.

*Herb Reed, a founding member of the pop vocal ground the Platters, has died.  He was born in Kansas City in 1928.

*Potential conflict alert- Norah Jones' concert at the Midland Theater and the American Jazz Museum's Rhythm & Ribs Festival fall on October 13.

*St. Louis Jazz Notes reports that the 2012-13 season of Jazz St. Louis includes performances by Sonny Rollins, the Bad Plus, John Scofield, Christian Scott, the Chris Potter Trio and Lionel Loueke.

*Tweet o' the Week: AviWisnia- #roadtrip scoping Bill Clinton's sax at The American Jazz Museum - Kansas City, MO with @Twanbomb (photo)

*Comment o' the Week: Anonymous- PS(:) Much love and respect for RecordBar continuing a Sunday jazz series which I've never seen well attended, yet exists in the spirit of providing an outlet for challenging music.  Some venues recognize art for art's sake and are willing to back it. RecordBar is one of those venues.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Kansas City's Counterfeit Jazz

The namesake of this blog is displayed in a case at the publicly-funded American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's Jazz District. The institution isn't located at the corner of 12th Street and Vine. The famous intersection no longer exists. Want to see Charlie Parker's childhood homes? They've also been leveled. Many of the most historically valuable properties in the Kansas City area are gone. Even though I openly mock the city's decision to spend $144,500.00 in taxpayer dollars on a plastic sax once played by Bird, I applaud the motives that inspired the purchase.

Rather than a case of too little and too late, I see the efforts described in Brandon R. Reynold's The Jazz District Authenticity Problem essay as a noble last-ditch effort to formally acknowledge and preserve a portion of what remains of Kansas City's formidable jazz legacy.

Patrick Jarenwattananon of NPR's A Blog Supreme encouraged Plastic Sax and KCJazzLark to respond to Reynold's piece with locally-based insights.

As Reynolds suggests, redevelopment at 18th and Vine has been halting. Before I offer my jazz-oriented explanation of why the the top-down approach to civic engineering has resulted in a disappointing amount of progress, I'd like to surprise longtime Plastic Sax readers by offering a heartfelt tribute to the American Jazz Museum.

Just last night a capacity audience packed the museum's nightclub for Benny Golson's second appearance at the Blue Room in less than a year. It was precisely the sort of event that could only transpire under the auspices of the American Jazz Museum.

While the museum's displays may not inspire repeat visits, its entertainment programming and outreach efforts have added immeasurably to my quality of life. I've met Randy Weston. I've experienced performances by brilliant musicians including Roy Ayers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Lionel Loueke, Christian McBride and Nicholas Payton. I've attended panel discussions featuring underappreciated artists like Ben Kynard. I'm grateful that the museum continues to provide these invaluable opportunities.

I just wish more people recognized jazz's intrinsic rewards. Unlike barbecue, Kansas City's other ballyhooed gift to the world, jazz simply isn't attracting hordes of eager consumers in 2012. While the Blue Room has been a constant beacon of quality, the past few years have been tough ones for Kansas City's jazz fans and musicians. Even as the indie rock, hip hop and fine arts scenes have become all the rage, the jazz environment has endured a series of humbling setbacks. Unlike the infighting that's weakened support for the Mutual Musicians Foundation and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, most of the challenges faced by the American Jazz Museum aren't self-inflicted.

Kansas City's deep-seated racial divide is the other primary reason the Jazz District has failed to thrive. The town remains segregated. Last night's Benny Golson concert aside, a lot of people are simply unwilling to visit a part of town that they associate both with crime and with people of a different race. No amount of urban planning can rectify biases of that nature.

Time, however, has a a way of changing such perceptions. And there are reasons to be hopeful. Thanks in large part to Bobby Watson's work as the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, dozens of promising young musicians are bringing fresh ideas to the scene. I'll pit Kansas City's top two dozen jazz-based musicians against the talent pool of any North American city other than New York, New Orleans, Chicago and Los Angeles.

I have to believe that enthusiastic audiences will eventually embrace the relevant, #BAM-friendly music being performed by these young innovators. Hopefully, the proper infrastructure will be in place in the Jazz District when that day finally arrives. Kansas City's Jazz District may then seem less like a contrived counterfeit and more like the authentic article.

(Original image of sign at 18th & Paseo by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Pearl Thuston-Brown passed away Sunday. She was 84. Chuck Haddix interviewed the one-time vocalist in Lionel Hampton's band in 2007. She was last featured at Plastic Sax in 2010.

*I didn't attend this year's gravesite service for Charlie Parker at Lincoln Cemetery. Neither, apparently, did you. In a report filed by my friend XO, he notes that just "(t)wo sax players, one singer and maybe a dozen observants" were present for the annual memorial.

*Headline: Council approves 18th and Vine renovation project. KCJazzLark approves.

*Tony's Kansas City gets the scoop on The Mutual Musicians Foundation's bottles of Kansas City wine.

*Libby Hanssen compiled a survey of forthcoming jazz performances for The Star.

*Here's a review of the first set of Marilyn Maye's current engagement at Jardine's.

*Elgin Smith and Joel Francis reviewed Friday's Return to Forever concert. Here's a bit of fan footage.

*"By modern jazz standards it was a complete hit and by free beer standards it was also good," Hunter Long writes of the most recent Black House Improvisors' Collective performance. Recent posts also include notification of the next season and a couple of video clips.

*Ahmad Alaadeen's Dsyfunctional is now available as an e-book at Amazon's Kindle store.

*Jeneé Osterheldt describes “Sweet Easy Sundays” at Danny's Big Easy.

*The CBC explores the "thirty year musical relationship between Canadian luthier Linda Manzer and guitar great Pat Metheny." (Via Peter Hum.)

*The threat posed by Hurricane Irene forced the cancellation of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in New York. Here's a preview of what might have been. "(L)ike many musicians of my generation, bebop was like a message from the messiah," Toots Thielemans told The New York Post in advance of his ill-fated appearance at the festival.

*Interesting background information about Dr. Reginald Buckner is included in the preview for the September 24 concert at the Blue Room featuring the Will Matthews Organ Quartet.

*Here's solid audio (and murky video) of one of the Brad Leali Tentet's August gigs at the Blue Room.

*Tweet o' the Week: THEFOLLYTHEATER: Tickets for the 2011-2012 Folly Jazz Series go on sale Monday at 10am. Don't miss out on great seats! 816-474-4444 www.follytheater.org

*From Community Christian Church: The lineup for the 2011 edition of Jazz Carol Fest includes Deborah Brown, Millie Edwards and Luzman Hamza. The house band features James Albright, Everette DeVan, Rod Fleeman, Stan Kessler, Jim Mair and Jurgen Welgen. Tim Whitmer is the Master of Ceremonies. The concert begins at 4 p.m.

*From the American Jazz Museum: A press conference regarding the 2011 Rhythm & Ribs festival is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., September 6, at the museum.

(Original image of UMKC campus by Plastic Sax.)

Grading the 2011-12 Folly Theater Season

Aside from a handful of weirdos like me, who would want to see both The Yellowjackets and Peter Nero? That was my first reaction when I read Joe Klopus' preview of the Folly Theater's 2011-12 season. As I analyzed the seven selections, however, I realized they weren't entirely dissimilar. Excepting the Vanguard Orchestra, each act has a florid musicality in common.

Expect to hear a lot a notes this season.

What concertgoers won't hear is innovative modern jazz. Disappointing turnout for serious music has understandably resulted in a less artistically adventurous new season. Trading Joe Lovano for the Yellowjackets and The Bad Plus for Peter Nero is a bitter pill to swallow.


The Yellowjackets- October 1
Anyone expecting snark from me about the "relaxing" music of The Yellowjackets is going to have to hold their breathe. The jazz fusion ensemble is very good at what it does.
Grade: B

Peter Nero- November 5
With all due respect, I hadn't realized that Peter Nero was still alive. Not only is he alive, Nero, 77, leads a Pops orchestra in Philadelphia. Given my weakness for pianists like Erroll Garner and Vince Guaraldi, it's no surprise that I'm actually looking forward to hearing Nero perform his hit "Summer of '42".
Grade: B+

Mark O'Connor's American String Celebration- December 17
Genre-hopping violinist Mark O'Connor's concert was the best-attended event of the 2009-10 season, so it's no surprise to see his name listed here again.
Grade: B

Nnenna Freelon- January 14
I didn't "get" Dee Dee Bridgewater until I saw her perform in the Jammin' at the Gem series in 2007. While I was familiar with her recordings, it took seeing Bridgewater in person to connect to the vocalist's unique sensibility. I'm hoping to experience the same type of musical epiphany with Nnenna Freelon in January.
Grade: B

Grace Kelly Quintet with Phil Woods- February 4
Grace Kelly's 2009 performance at the Blue Room was a mixed bag. While I was impressed with with the teen's technical mastery, she didn't exactly have me sitting on the edge of my seat. (Here's my review.) The presence of Phil Woods- one of Charlie Parker's greatest disciples- and the hope that Kelly has become a less rigid stylist, make this an interesting booking.
Grade: B

The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra- March 3
Big bands don't travel much in 2011. That's the primary reason the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is the Folly season's most compelling booking. The current edition of the ensemble includes Dick Oatts, Terell Stafford, Scott Wendholt, Gary Smulyan and Jim McNeely.
Grade: A-

John Pizzarelli- April 14
A popular interpreter of the Great American Songbook, John Pizzarelli has found a nice niche as more tasteful alternative to Michael Buble and Michael Feinstein. This is a safe booking that will please conservative listeners.
Grade: B-

I conducted similar exercises for the 2010-11, 2009-10 and 2008-09 seasons.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Joe Who?

I'd already heard a lot of great music in 2011, but Joe Lovano's concert Saturday at the Folly Theater topped it all. Startlingly innovative, Lovano and his Us Five band demonstrated that jazz still contains entire universes of untapped potential. (It's astonishing how much I concur with this review of the concert.)

Only about 400 people attended. Empty seats outnumbered patrons. And a significant portion of them, displeased by Lovano's aggressive approach, walked out. The Folly Theater's failure to utilize free promotional tools continues to disappoint me, but the problem is far more complex than that.

I was rattled by the reaction I received when I shared my excitement about Lovano's concert with friends during the previous day's First Friday celebration. One owns a record label. Another specializes in music marketing. A third books bands. A fourth works in radio. Not one of them had even heard of Lovano. He may lack the charisma of his frequent collaborator Esperanza Spalding, but within the jazz world, Lovano is a giant. When one of jazz's most important and compelling artists doesn't even register as a blip on the radar of music professionals, jazz is in a world of hurt.

Why the disconnect?

It's not the economy or competition from other forms of entertainment. Three rock-oriented concerts- Bright Eyes at the Uptown Theater, Three Days Grace at the Midland Theater and Henry Rollins at the Record Bar- drew capacity audiences the same night as Lovano's appearance. I have to believe that a least a few hundred fans at those events would also be attracted to the adventurous new sounds produced by Lovano. Rollins, for instance, issued a Matthew Shipp album on his 2.13.61 record label.

I realize, of course, that I'm preaching to the choir. I spotted several of Plastic Sax's 37 readers at Lovano's concert. Even so, it's come to this- jazz is so far removed from music's mainstream that active consumers of rock and hip hop have virtually no awareness of vital artists like Joe Lovano.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

A Jazz Checkup

This is going to hurt a little bit.

I ran a detailed analysis of the March music calendars for Kansas City's three most recognized jazz clubs. The results raise a few interesting questions. When is a jazz club no longer a jazz club? What's the difference between jazz and R&B? And what would I do without my calculator?

The Blue Room, Jardine's and The Phoenix have a combined 96 events in March. Of these, 46 are mainstream jazz, 6 are experimental jazz, 21 are R&B, 5 are international music and 18 are rock, folk or blues. That means that only 54% of the bookings are mainstream or experimental jazz. Some might argue that the Phoenix has evolved into a blues club. Fair enough. Remove the Phoenix from the equation and the combined jazz bookings at the Blue Room and Jardine's rises to a modest 61%.

Although the Gaslight Grill and the Majestic offer live jazz, I didn't include them in my calculations because they seem to emphasize the restaurant aspect of their businesses. A couple other rooms that feature live music couldn't be included because, well, you know.

I don't begrudge clubs for expanding their reach. With the possible exception of the Blue Room, which is at least partially publicly-funded, these establishments are businesses that need to turn a profit. Besides, I'm hardly a purist. I've lobbied for a weekly jazz-meets-hip hop night at the Blue Room. And I'm a big fan of a folk artist who regularly performs at Jardine's.

Just five years ago, any one of these non-jazz bookings would have raised eyebrows. Yet if this trend continues- and there's no reason to believe that it won't- jazz will eventually become a secondary consideration in these rooms.

The fate of live jazz in Kansas City, of course, doesn't hinge on a single venue. Also noteworthy are the occasional jazz bookings at rock emporiums like the Brick and the Record Bar, JCCC's noontime series, Tim Whitmer's monthly Spirituality and All That Jazz, the efforts of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and the excellent jazz series at both the Folly and the Gem.

Would you like a Band-Aid?

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Bird speaks! An obscure 1954 discussion featuring Paul Desmond and Charlie Parker was recently posted at YouTube. (Via Rifftides.)

*KCJazzLark analyzes the inconsistencies of Kansas City's primary jazz clubs.

*"An institution that’s become best known in recent years for turmoil, mismanagement and unfulfilled promises is again asking for trust," asserts Sam Mellinger in a column about the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. (Out-of-town readers should know that the attraction is housed in the same building as the American Jazz Museum.

*Charles Feruzza shares a memo from Vera Willis of the Peachtree Restaurant that includes her rationale for shuttering the location at 18th and Vine.

*London's, a new venue in Topeka, occasionally features live jazz. The Topeka Capital-Journal has the story.

*Road trip! (Part One)- Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa perform in Wichita on January 25. And Benny Golson, Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke are on the way. Find the details here. (Tip via Lee Ingalls.)

*Road trip! (Part Two)- Dean Minderman reports that Brad Mehldau will appear April 6-7 at St. Louis' Jazz at the Bistro.

*Chris Lewis of Killer Strayhorn wants Plastic Sax readers to know that the official CD release party for 80/20 Blue is January 29 at the Pressroom in Crosstown Station.

*Tweet o' the Week- JazzWinterlude: Jazz Winterlude is ON TONIGHT! It's New Jazz Order with Megan Birdsall at the JCCC's Carlsen Center. It's at 7 pm & it's free. (Posted January 20.)

*Barrie Lee Hall, Jr. has died. He was 61. Plastic Sax readers might recall that the trumpeter and one-time leader of the Ellington Orchestra performed in Kansas City last April. He's seated to Clark Terry's right in this photo. (Tip via Michael Pagan.)

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Steve Paul's insightful review of Bobby Watson's The Gates BBQ Suite includes valuable context omitted from my September 20 critique of the new album. The Philadelphia Inquirer checks in with a quick review while Music and More offers a more detailed analysis.

*Steve Kraske and Bobby Watson talked about jazz, UMKC, the quality of life in Kansas City and Watson's new album on KCUR's Up To Date. Download the podcast here.

*The remainder of the artist lineup for the American Jazz Museum's Rhythm & Ribs festival has been announced.

*Mike Metheny pays tribute to Doc Severinson in a beautiful essay. The accompanying photo is a must-see. In a separate note to Plastic Sax, Metheny wrote: "It should also be noted that there were several other KC-connected musicians onstage in Clay Center including Jay Sollenberger, Kerry Strayer, Paul Smith, Bob Bowman, Todd Strait and Danny Embrey.

*KCJazzLark slanders the "magic jazz fairy". Hilarious! I recently addressed the same issue with significantly less tact.

*Steve Penn reports on the delayed opening of the Napoleon Bakery in the Jazz District.

*Lee Ingalls presents a podcast interview with Stan Kessler of Sons of Brasil.

*According to my calculations, only eight percent of the three dozen acts featured at this weekend's Plaza Art Fair are jazz artists.

*Dr. Wayne E. Goins, Director of Jazz at Kansas State, participates in a roundtable discussion at JazzTimes. (Link via A Blog Supreme.)

*Saxophonist Walt Weiskopf was in town last Saturday as part of the Dukes of September band. Here's a review.

*Sue Vicory reports that a newly edited version of her film will be screened at BB's Lawnside BBQ on September 29. A question-and-answer session will follow the film.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*KCJazzLark makes another invaluable contribution to the jazz world by unearthing an obscure documentary on Jay McShann. It serves as a sequel to The Last of the Blue Devils.

*So, it's come to this- California hip hop artist Planet Asia is featured in the first professional music video shot in Kansas City's Jazz District.

*Many of William Gottlieb's jazz photos have entered the public domain and are posted at Flickr. This famous shot of Charlie Parker is among the images in the collection. (Tip via A Blog Supreme.) Kansas City jazz advocate Lee Ingalls shares his thoughts on the news.

*Steve Penn reports on Alaadeen's health issues.

*"(A) large volume of Kansas City's formative jazz comes from (Vic) Damon's studio, including early music from Charlie Parker, Tommy Douglas, Julia Lee, Sandra Steele, the Scamps, Jay McShann and Marilyn Maye," according to this interesting story.

*Karrin Allyson recently participated in a "Jazz for the Gulf" benefit concert.

*The Star examined the Atlantic Diaspora exhibit at the American Jazz Museum.

*Mary Lou Williams is honored in Chicago this week. (Tip from Rick in PV.)

*Mouth's new album is available as a free download at their revamped site. It contains two-and-a-half hours of live jams. Airhorns aside, I like it.

*The Omaha World-Herald describes Grand Marquis as "a hard-core Kansas City jazz band" in a show preview.

*Doug Ramsey reminds jazz fans of the contributions Mitch Miller made to Charlie Parker's career. Miller died July 31.

*Nora Hulse, an "advocate of female ragtime composers," is profiled by Lawrence's Journal-World.

*Here's a direct link to an MP3 download of a track from Miles Bonny's forthcoming German compilation.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)

On the Corner

It's hard to hate an attractive park. Yet I loathe Paseo Green.

These photos show what's standing at Kansas City's fabled intersection of 12th Street & Vine. Here's a satellite view.

The corner represents much more than a Leiber and Stoller lyric from a Wilbert Harrison hit. It was once one of the world's premier musical destinations.

Here's the text on a plaque at the site:

During the early-1970s, 12th and Vine fell victim to Urban Renewal. Kansas City's Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority leveled most of the neighborhood surrounding 12th and Vine, as part of a city-wide rebuilding effort. In 1977, the Authority realigned the streets to create Paseo Green Park. Unfortunately, the reconfiguration of the streets eliminated the famed intersection of 12th and Vine. Now, with the creation of the Goin' to Kansas City Plaza at Twelfth Street and Vine, the historic corner of 12th and Vine has been restored.

Established in 2005, the grand piano-shaped plaza celebrates the intersection of 12th and Vine and the song "Kansas City." The piano monument base, nestled in the heart of the treble clef at the center of the park, serves as a platform for a featured sculpture that embodies the spirit of 12th and Vine. The park is designed to be a work-in-progress with a new sculpture commissioned every few years. Existing sculptures will then be placed throughout the park creating a sculpture garden. Linking Kansas City's past and future, the Goin' to Kansas City Plaza at Twelfth Street and Vine allows visitors, once again, to be standin' on the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine.

The original "piano monument base" remains the park's sole sculpture. I really don't care about that broken promise. A thousand sculptures couldn't begin to repair the tragic debasement of the celebrated location.


















(Original images by Plastic Sax.)

Confirmation: Weekly News & Notes

*Jason Harper wrote a fascinating account of the demise of the Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival. The annual event typically featured a smattering of jazz artists. Here are my notes on last year's festival. I also covered the proceedings in 2008.

*Kevin Mahogany has a new record label of sorts. Mahogany Digital "is... a progressive recording label that seeks to embrace the electronic age." (Tip via St. Louis Jazz Notes.)

*The remarkable story of vocalist Gab Harris is recounted by the Kansas City Kansan.

*KCJazzLark soldiers on with his saga about the creation of the American Jazz Museum.

*Here are details about the Kansas City Memorial Juneteenth Jazz & Arts Festival.

*The Charlotte Street Foundation awarded Brad Cox of the People's Liberation Big Band a grant of $6,500.

*Dean Minderman of St. Louis Jazz Notes is saving me a lot of work by compiling the latest reviews of Pat Metheny's tour.

*Hearne Christopher remembers the late Jose Lima's flirtation with Jardine's.

*"Kansas City, after all, is not the jazz town it once was," writes theater critic Robert Trussell. His observations on the national impact of local theater are interesting.

*A Sons of Brasil concert is streaming at KANU's site. (Tip via Phil Franklin.)

*"I’m from Kansas City. Jazz and blues are as much a part of me (at least in the attitude) as classical is," vocalist Nathan Granner tells an opera blogger.

*A California newspaper featured Megan Birdsall. Here's her latest tour vlog.

*Current Kansas Citian Joel Francis reviews former Kansas Citian Terry Teachout's new book about Louis Armstrong.

*The interactive version of the New York Times feature on Kansas City mentioned in this space last week includes a photo of Diverse performing at the Czar Bar with Les Izmore. Three members of Diverse are currently touring France.

(Original image by Plastic Sax. The R&B band pictured played some Grover Washington, Jr,. at the Troost Avenue Festival on May 22.)